New LA Kings Assistant Trent Yawney on Todd McLellan and What to Expect This Season
- Updated: October 4, 2019
Photo credit: Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images
It may be redundant to suggest that with every new season comes new hope but that is nonetheless accurate for the Los Angeles Kings, who are coming off on one of their worst seasons in over a decade.
After a 31-42-9 campaign that included a midseason coaching change, the Kings are ready to put 2018-19 behind them thanks to a few changes — two of them being behind the bench.
When the 2018-19 season came to a merciful end, the Kings wasted little time in hiring Todd McLellan as their new head coach.
Photo credit: Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images
McLellan then proceeded to hire a familiar partner in Trent Yawney as his assistant, shortly after retaining Marco Sturm and Bill Ranford as assistant and goaltending coaches, respectively.
Yawney, though, may not be as familiar to Kings fans as McLellan is. After all, McLellan is an experienced head coach who established a successful track record with, among other clubs, one of the Kings’ chief rivals, the San Jose Sharks. For Yawney, it was in San Jose, in 2008, when his partnership with McLellan began.
In addition to his tenure as the Sharks’ assistant, Yawney was an assistant with the Anaheim Ducks from 2014 to 2018 before reuniting with McLellan in Edmonton last season. Unfortunately, the former defenseman’s tenure with the Oilers lasted just a few months as Yawney, along with McLellan, was relieved of his coaching duties halfway through last season.
This experience did not deter Yawney, however, as both he and McLellan are excited for a new chapter in Los Angeles where they hope to bring the Kings back to the playoffs.
Earlier this week, I spoke with Trent Yawney about this new chapter and how he feels about his new coaching staff entering the new season, especially McLellan.
“I really like our staff,” Yawney began. “We have experience. I think we are very honest with the players and obviously [helping] the player succeed in any way we can. Todd is very inclusive when it comes to the staff’s opinions. He wants what you have to say; not necessarily what you think he might want to hear.”
Photo credit: The Canadian Press
As a player, Yawney established himself as a shut-down blueliner while adding some intimidation to his game with his 6-foot-3 frame. Beginning as a junior with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, Yawney would then play for Canada’s national team for three years before embarking on a successful 12-year NHL career, which included six combined seasons in Chicago, five in Calgary and one in St. Louis.
Yawney learned a lot as a player as well, playing with Norris Trophy winner — and current Sharks’ GM — Doug Wilson as well as Hall-of-Famers Chris Chelios and Phil Housley. Yawney’s coaching career also included working with Conn Smythe winner and three-time Stanley Cup champion Duncan Keith and another Hall-of-Famer, the Kings’ own Rob Blake.
With all of that being said, it should not come as much of a surprise what Yawney will be responsible for with his new team.
“I’m responsible for the defenseman,” Yawney continued. “But as far as the rest of the team’s structure, it’s a group coaching discussion from everyone with Todd making the final decision.”
With stops in San Jose, Anaheim and Edmonton, it’s fair to argue that Trent Yawney has an advantage given his familiarity with the Pacific Division, particularly the California-based clubs.
“I think every year is a different one but by being in the [Pacific] division for a few years, [you will] definitely become very familiar with certain individuals on the other teams as well as what the team’s identity may be, how the coaches of those teams run their lines the structure to their special teams and 5-on-5 games,” Yawney explained. “Overall, you know what you tried to do with the previous team you were on, to negate the current team you coach, their strengths as well as what you saw as their weaknesses.”
Photo credit: Dick Blume/The Post Standard 2012
While the Sharks and Kings may share some similarities, the new Kings assistant was quick to point out some sharp contrasts. After all, according to Yawney, he isn’t seeing what he experienced between 2008 and 2011 with San Jose in the City of Angels.
“San Jose, at the time, was in a different place than L.A. is now, “stressed Yawney. “San Jose was a veteran-laden team that couldn’t get out of the first round. Right now on [the Kings’] roster, we have eight players who haven’t even reached 100 games in the NHL, with one player who has not played a regular-season game. Plus, the core group in L.A. has won two Stanley Cups. So, I guess it’s a bit unfair to compare the two because each team every year is unique in its own way as to why they succeed.”
Of course, while the Sharks may have garnered notoriety for being a playoff underachiever, few can deny the success McLellan brought to the Bay Area. The native of Hudson Bay, Sask. certainly attests to this.
“Todd brought in structure to San Jose that you need to win in the playoffs as well as the regular season,” said Yawney. “He held the players in San Jose accountable regardless of their stature on the team in a very professional way. He changed the team’s approach to practice in terms of the pace they were used to practice at versus what was needed to play the game at a high pace. Todd teaches the offensive part of the game as well as most coaches, especially when it comes to the power play.”
For fans who became accustomed to their team’s vast success between 2012 and 2014, they may have been generally disappointed with the Kings’ overall play since 2014. Like it or not, though, constantly changing and evolving is the reality — the lifeblood, if you will — of professional sports. Having said that, the vast majority of Kings fans simply do not mind — or do not care — about their team’s performance in recent years. All they care about is a fresh, new start, and they have just that in Todd McLellan and Trent Yawney.
For Yawney, in particular, he brings a coaching lineage that dates back 20 years, helping, in addition to the aforementioned stars, a plethora of defensemen develop and evolve their respective games. Some of these names include Shea Theodore, Marc-Eduoard Vlasic and another three-time Stanley Cup champion, Brent Seabrook, with the latter two adding “Olympic Gold Medalist” to their resumes.
It is a new era for the Los Angeles Kings as they enter the 2019-20 with plenty of excitement and motivation. Of course, while frustration and disappointment are certainly inevitable, Trent Yawney, along with Todd McLellan, are determined not to let these emotions define the new-look Kings. After all, it doesn’t matter what happens to you as much as how you respond to what happens to you and if Yawney and McLellan have anything to say about it — which they will — the Los Angeles Kings will be poised, once again, for great things.
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